


Rebuilding

by eerian_sadow



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Gen, Post-War, young protectobots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-31 03:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17841581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eerian_sadow/pseuds/eerian_sadow
Summary: Wheeljack brings the Protectobots to Cybertron for the first time, but it doesn't go the way he imagined.





	Rebuilding

**Author's Note:**

> This assumes a timeline where the P-bots were actually built on Earth, rather than kept in storage until needed or whatever other origin.

“Well, kids, you ready to go?” Wheeljack’s headfins flashed a bright, cheerful pink as he stepped into the passenger compartment of the long distance shuttle. The Protectobots all nodded and stood quickly. 

They each reached for the individual items they had brought with them, mostly data pads for entertainment, and tucked them into their subspace pockets with a coordinated efficiency that was almost creepy to watch. Then Groove and Streetwise gave him matching grins, and Hot Spot announced, “We’re ready, Wheeljack!”

“Great. I want you kids to stay close to me until we’ve gotten to the hotel, even if your internal maps say they’ve updated. Iacon is easy to get lost in, even with all the restoration that’s been going on.”

“We’ll stay close,” Groove assured him. Blades made a noise that sounded annoyed, but he didn’t argue. 

“All right, then follow me.” Wheeljack gestured for them to fall in behind him and he led them to the ramp that led down onto the landing pad. They walked down it and crossed the landing pad quickly, too quickly to take in anything around them, so that their shuttle could take off and another could land. Then they stepped inside the Iacon Transit Hub and all five Protectobots froze as they took in the architecture.

“It’s so big, I could fly in here!” Blades said, voice awed. Up near the ceiling, a pair of maintenance workers were hovering with jetpacks and proving his point.

“It’s tall enough for Omega Supreme, if he needed to get out of the elements,” Wheeljack told them with a bright blue flash of his fins. “Grapple and Hoist designed it to hold as many of the survivors of the war as possible, just in case.”

“They did good work,” Hot Spot said. 

“That they did.” Wheeljack gestured for them to follow him again, and led them to the exit. 

It took almost ten minutes to cross the distance, though it would have gone more quickly if they had been allowed to transform inside the station. Once they reached the doors, though, all five Protectobots rushed ahead of Wheeljack and stepped outside. He shook his head and followed at a more sedate pace, certain that they would wait so they could stay close as promised.

When he stepped through the doors, Blades was staring up at the grey sky with dismay. Hot Spot’s shoulders were slumped as he looked at the broken buildings nearby. Groove and Streetwise were holding hands as they stared down at the cracked road. 

First Aid had his hand resting on the dead stump of an ancient tree, species unknown, and his ventilation was coming in rough hitches. 

“Hey, guys, what’s wrong?”

“It’s all dead!” First Aid wailed. 

“Hey, it’s not dead.” Wheeljack stepped close and wrapped an arm around the young medic. “I mean, the tree is, but the city’s not. The planet’s not. Look.”

He pointed to a cluster of crystals growing at the base of the tree, feeding on its corpse for their own growth. Shakily Aid nodded.

“And look over there. See the construction bots putting up the new building?” Wheeljack waited until he had another nod, this time from Groove and Streetwise. “And Blades, can’t you see those gyrofalcons hunting over the residential zone?”

“Yeah, I see them!” Blades’ posture shifted and he looked less dejected. “And there are more that way, too!”

Wheeljack turned his gaze in the direction the Protectobot was pointing. “So there are! I bet Starscream and Skyfire will be excited to know there’s another family unit in the city.”

“But there’s still so much that’s broken,” Hot Spot said sadly.

“I know, kiddo.” Wheeljack held his free arm out until the blue mech stepped into his embrace. First Aid wrapped an arm around the bigger mech, too. “We did a lot of damage during the war. Now it’s time to clean it up. I brought all of you, because I know you’ll be good at helping with that.”

“Everyone will need a good medic if they get hurt,” First Aid said, thoughtful. “And someone to help fly work crews into areas too small for shuttles.”

“And someone to put out fires if accidents happen,” Groove agreed. “And someone to help Commander Prowl catch Sunstreaker and Sideswipe when they get into trouble again.”

“They’re right, Spot,” Streetwise said. “We can do this. We’ll be the best at it!”

Hot Spot hugged Wheeljack tightly for a moment before stepping away again. “You’re right. We _can_ do this. Let’s get to the hotel and figure out where to get started.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like what I'm doing? Visit me on Tumblr for more fic, and ways to get a fic like this for yourself!  
> https://eerian-sadow.tumblr.com/
> 
> Don't do Tumblr? Find me on Dreamwidth and Pillowfort! https://eerian-sadow.dreamwidth.org/ or https://www.pillowfort.io/eerian_sadow


End file.
